Broad Beans & Blackfly, to spray or not to spray?

[maypril]

Some of my broad beans are starting to get blackfly at the top. The common organic advice is to pinch out the tops and throw it away, blackfly included. Won't this reduce my overall yield though? Will I get better yield if I use an insecticide?

[Two_Sheds]

It doesn't affect yield at all. If you don't control the blackfly in the early stages, you won't get a crop

[digthatchick]

Two Sheds is right - pinch out the tops to get rid of the black fly, and why use pesticides, when a drop of washing up liquid and water does the same job ... but SAFER

[taff]

I sprayed mine with soapy water and with garlic water last year,didnt get rid of them at all.
be ruthless,pinch them out.

[zazen999]

For some bizarre reason I've never had blackfly on my broadies.

[womble]

For some bizarre reason I've never had blackfly on my broadies.

They're probably too small and they fly right by.

Hah!

[shirlthegirl43]

The only time I got blackfly on my broadies I blasted them with the hose on high pressure. They soon perked up after the bashing and no more troubles. the plants had hardly even started to flower so there was no way I was pinching the tops off

[Two_Sheds]

No blackfly at all so far this year (too cold?), and my broadies have nearly finished producing (I didn't plant that many this year).

[shirlthegirl43]

No blackfly at all so far this year (too cold?), and my broadies have nearly finished producing (I didn't plant that many this year).

Blimey TS, mine only got planted out on Sunday

[chris]

No blackfly on mine (though, I seem to have a lot of red spider mites around my carrots - only other pest bar a couple aphids and loads of slugs) - I think where I have my broadies is too windy ?

[Flummery]

None here (yet) either. I hand squish for a few (messy but SO satisfying!) and I squirt with water with a little washing up liquid in if I miss the problem and it gets out of hand. Squirt them then rub the stems with the froth.

[maytreefrannie]

Two Sheds is right - pinch out the tops to get rid of the black fly, and why use pesticides, when a drop of washing up liquid and water does the same job ... but SAFER

What digthatchick said, except I often soak a cut garlic clove in the mix for a few hours before I spray.

Also, as Shirlthegirl said, a good blast with the hose can be effective, I've found (a couple of years ago) - I was nervous the blast would knock over the broadies, but they came through fine.

[LolaLou]

My broadbeans are so black with blackfly/aphids that the only green bits left left are the top of the leaves, sounds like I've got everyone's share!! - I resorted to dousing them with an 'organic' spray this weekend as they are so bad (I'd pinched the tops out too when they first grew) and so will see if that has any effect at all - from last nights observations, its seems that the darling little ants are now ferrying the blackfly across the path into the next bed and attempting to nurse them on my new squash plants!!! Not happy and the braodies will have to go if things don't improve as the pods that are there are few and far between

[Nicos]

We've had / got loads of blackfly and greenfly this year-I thought all that cold would have at least seen off a fair few

( we ended up having to spray the garden flowers with organic spray- 3 times so far- and each time they've gone- and a week or so later start off again)

Whatever you choose to do- do it ASAP

[Two_Sheds]

My broadbeans are so black with blackfly/aphids that the only green bits left left are the top of the leaves

oh dear
you may have left them too long and now the population is out of control. You really do have to keep on top of them and squish as soon as they appear, and keep squishing.
Else they have a million and one babies